1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a terminal to be mounted on an electric or electronic device such as a circuit board.
2. Description of the Related Art
Press-fit terminals are inserted into through holes of a circuit board and are connected electrically with contact portions formed on the inner surfaces of the through holes without being soldered. Needle eye press-fit terminals are disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. S58-123678 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2001/0000368 A1 and have resiliently deformable contacts that bulge out arcuately to define a deformation space therebetween. The contacts deform resiliently in to close the deformation space as the terminal is inserted into a through hole of a circuit board. The resilient contacts press against the inner surface of the through hole and establish electrical connection with the contact portion of the through hole due to the resilient forces that act in directions to open the deformation space.
The resilient reaction forces of the resilient contacts typically are sufficient when the diameter of the through hoe is small. However, the resilient reaction forces of the resilient contacts may be insufficient when the diameter of the through hoe is large.
The present invention was developed in view of the above problem and an object thereof is to provide a terminal that can be used for a wide range of holes from those having smaller diameters to those having larger diameters.